The Way it Should Have Been
by xxAugustaxx
Summary: What would have happened if Buffy was able to find another way to stop Acathla instead of sending Angel to hell in the s2 finale?
1. Ch1

**The Way it Should have Been**

Chapter 1

Author's Note: I had always wanted to write a 'what if' fan fiction about what would of, or could have happened if Buffy could have defeated Acathla without sending Angel to hell at the end of Season 2. And last night, while looking through my Buffy/Angel videos and watching a few, I decided to write this; even thought I told myself I wouldn't start a new story 'till I was done with the other 2 I have going currently… So here's the first chapter, I hope you all like it!

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Disclaimer: Why us fan fiction writers have to include one of these is beyond me. It's universal knowledge that the person behind creating this show and these wonderful characters is a man named Joss Whedon. Me? I'm just borrowing them for a little bit!

"Buffy."

A suddenly relief washed over her at the sound of that one word. That one name. The warmth in his voice, Buffy knew… After seeing his eyes glow before she was able to deliver the final blow, she realized he must have gotten his soul back. She didn't care how it had been restored, just that he was back; her Angel was back. He pulled her into his arms . A place she had dreamed to be in for months now.

"I feel like I haven't seen you in months," he said as he held her tightly. "God, everything's so muddled…" Buffy closed her eyes and sighed in relief. He then kissed her shoulder, whispering her name as if it was his savior. Buffy let the tears escape that she had been holding back as he whispered her name. He was back. She never thought she'd see him again. Now things could return back to normal.

Suddenly, as if the fates had picked up on her thoughts, she heard a noise. Not wanting to, she slowly opened her eyes. Behind her, the demon Acathla's mouth dropped open and the vortex began. Her eyes opened in horror. She had forgotten all about Acathla until that moment. She hadn't been able to stop Angelus in time, and now she quietly watched as the vortex slowly grew behind them. She slowly pulled away from Angel's embrace, still wearing a worried face.

Angel looked at her confused. "What's happening?" he asked, his voice still a little weak. Buffy thought back to what Whistler has said at Giles' house. _The sword isn't enough… Angel's blood is the key…_

NO! She couldn't do it! She wouldn't. She quickly scrambled through her mind for some other way to stop Acathla without sacrificing Angel. She had just gotten him back, she wouldn't let him go again by using his blood to stop the demon. It would send him to hell, she knew. Suddenly she remembered what Giles had told her about the demon; about the knight had been able to kill the demon by piercing it's heart with the sword. Her gaze went back to behind Angel, the vortex growing more and more as the seconds went on.

"Don't worry about it," she told him in a hushed voice. Still confused, Angel watched as Buffy walked behind him, her hand gripping the swords handle. If driving the sword through the demon wouldn't work, there would be no other choice. She stood there for a second, as if hesitant before thrusting the sword into where it had been before, going straight through the demon's dead heart. For a second, nothing happened, then suddenly, a loud ear piercing roar came from the demon. Buffy stepped back as the building shook, and the vortex began to decrease in size, before finally disappearing back into the demon.

Buffy just stood there, stunned that it had worked. A few seconds later, Angel collapsed onto the ground behind her. Buffy quickly turned around and was at his side.

"Buffy I'm so sorry. I-" he began, sitting next to her, but half leaning against her as they sat in the middle of the room.

"Shhh," she hushed, her gaze locked on the now dormant Acathla. "It's over." Angel and Buffy sat there on the floor of the mansion, both thinking about the future of their relationship, and what had occurred during the past few months when Angelus was in Angel's place. The things he had done… Buffy closed her eyes, grateful she had him back. The apocalypse was over. Angel was back. For the moment, she could just sit there with him.


	2. Ch2

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The Way it Should have Been

Chapter 2

Author's Note: Thanks so much for the reviews! I'm glad people are liking it so far! This is just my opinion of what will happen after Buffy stopped Acathla. There's much to be discussed; the future of Buffy and Angel's relationship now that they know about the curse, they need to talk about what happened with Angelus, and also, Joyce kicked Buffy out. Where's she going to go now? LOL. As you can see, there is more to the story! Thank you kat461 for your review, it was really sweet. And to skye-lark913: Nope. That wasn't the end. You can look forward to more chapters; although I'm not sure how many… . I started off writing a DC story, thinking it'd be like, 10 chapters ,and here it is 30s'thing and it's not even done yet!

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Disclaimer: Why us fan fiction writers have to include one of these is beyond me. It's universal knowledge that the person behind creating this show and these wonderful characters is a man named Joss Whedon. Me? I'm just borrowing them for a little bit!

Buffy walked around town for a little while, having no other place to go. She couldn't go to school cause she was kicked out, she couldn't go back home and just lock herself up in her room since her mother kicked her out. So after leaving the mansion, Buffy decided to just walk around for a while, thinking about everything; in particular her and Angel. Could they resume things between them after the destruction Angelus had done all around? Seen what he was capable of doing? Buffy shook her head, trying to shake out the thoughts and images of Angelus and everything he had done. She didn't have to worry about him anymore, not if she and Angel didn't… her thoughts trailed off once more as she came to a familiar place. Realizing he wasn't home, Buffy paused before continuing up the walkway.

When she opened the door, she felt a small sense of comfort. She slowly walked further into the apartment, closing the door behind her.

"Better than the streets," she said to herself. She looked down at her filthy, wrinkled clothes wishing she had something better to change into. Deciding not only Giles probably wouldn't have anything to her liking and that it'd be too gross to even think about wearing her watcher's clothes, Buffy dropped the subject and walked towards the couch. She hadn't slept al night, she had been to busy saving the world from her lover. Pushing all thoughts out of her head, Buffy curled up on Giles' couch and fell fast asleep.

She woke up later that evening to the sound of someone in the kitchen. Slowly sitting up, she looked over at the clock on the wall. _Wow, I slept all day, _she thought to herself. She looked over at Giles, who was busily preparing food. As if he could sense her gaze on him, he looked up and smiled, seeing her up.

"Buffy," he said warmly, waking his way into the living room, sitting beside her on the couch.

"Hey," she said softly. "I'm sorry for just letting myself in and falling asleep, but.." Giles raised his right hand up.

"Please, your more than welcome into my house; anytime," he said.

Buffy smiled. "Thanks." The two just sat there in silence for a few moments.

"So…H-how's everyone?" she asked, knowing a few of her friends got knocked around during the apocalypse, Willow the worst.

"Uh, they're all doing better. They we're all asking and, and…wondering about you actually," he said. "Myself included."

Buffy gave a weak smile. "I've been better," she admitted. "Last night, uh.. Mom kicked me out after I told her about being a vampire slayer," she explained. "Hence my being here."

Giles looked at her for a second, surprised to hear that Joyce would kick Buffy out of the house. "I-I'm truly sorry, Buffy. If you need a place to stay…" he offered. "My guest room is available."

"Thanks. I may have to take you up on that offer actually," she told him. Giles smiled.

"For right now, I just don't know what I'm going to do about my mom," Buffy said. "I mean, it's not like she needs to know where I'm staying."

"Buffy," Giles said. "I'm sure she would appreciate knowing where you we're."

"Yeah, and I know I sure would appreciate not being kicked out of my own home," she said, standing up and stretching. The old couch was comfortable, but a little small for her tall frame.

"It can't be easier on her, Buffy. You must remember what it was like learning about all that you know now," he pointed out.

"It wasn't just that Giles, she just…wouldn't accept it; any of it," she told him. "She told me…she told me that I needed help and that she didn't want me going anywhere. After I told her that I had to go, she told me that if I left the house, not to think about coming back, so I left," she explained. Giles sat there quietly.

"I see," was all he said. Giles then stood up carefully and winced, from Angelus torturing him, Buffy figured. She looked at the watcher, now only getting a good look of how badly beaten up he really was. It appeared he had a few broken fingers, cuts, a black eye and a few bruises, all from Angelus.

"I know you may not want to discuss this at the moment, but.." he began.

"He's gone," Buffy said simply, not wanting to discuss what had happened at the mansion, and get into how Angel was no longer Angelus. Buffy knew Giles probably hated Angel for the murder of Jenny Calender, even though it wasn't he who had killed her.

"Hey, I gotta go out… for a while," she said, gesturing to the door. It wasn't like she needed permission, but she kinda felt it was polite to do so anyways.

"Oh, o-of coarse," Giles said.

"You sure?" she asked.

"Yes, if you need to go somewhere, you can. I'll leave the door open for you in case you don't get back 'till later," he told her.

"Thank you Giles; for everything," she said before leaving.

Buffy felt a sense of panic after going to the mansion only to find the place empty, except for Acathla, who remained in the large room like a ghost; or more like a reminder of Angelus and the almost end of the world the night before. She quickly thought about the other places he could possibly be. It wasn't like he was weak, so he could be anywhere. _Ohmigosh, maybe he left town thinking I'd never want to see him again? _The thought alone scared Buffy more than anything she had ever faced. She couldn't picture life without Angel- even though the night before she was preparing herself for just that. True, she lived without Angel for months, but even seeing Angelus gave her a weird sense of comfort and hope. But if he ever left Sunnydale… she shuddered just as rain began to come down.

"Just great," she mumbled to herself as she continued on. Although the thought of walking back to Giles' house where it was warm and dry was tempting, the thought of seeing Angel was even greater. Realizing Angel could be in one other place, Buffy prepared herself as she headed there.

A few minutes later, she stood in front of his old apartment door, preparing herself as she hugged herself and shivered. The last time she had been in there was the morning after she and Angel had made love… when Angelus had said all those mean things about her. She squeezed her eyes shut, pushing back the hurt and tears that came along with those thoughts. _But it's all over now, _she told herself.

She raised her hand to knock just as the door opened.

"Hey," he said warmly as he stood in the doorway.

"Hey. Can I come in?" she asked, not wanting to talk to him out in the hallway.

"Of coarse," he said, stepping further into the apartment, so that Buffy could come in. She gave a small smile as she closed the door behind her.

"Your wet," he observed. Buffy looked down at her wet shirt, then looked back up.

"Yeah, it's raining outside," she explained.

"Let me get you a towel," he said before disappearing out of the room. Buffy stood there, her gaze traveling all over the apartment. So many memories…

Just then, Angel came back into the room, towel in hand.

"Here," he said as he handed her the towel.

"Thanks," she said, then began to pat herself dry. "I uh, I dropped by the mansion to see how you we're, and you we're gone…" she paused. "So I figured you'd be here," she explained.

"Yeah, I didn't want to risk Giles seeing me if he decided to drop by," he explained.

"Oh," she said simply. The two stood there for a few minutes in an awkward silence, the seconds ticking away slowly.

"So.." Angel began as he motioned to a chair, for her to sit down. Buffy smiled before walking over and taking a seat.

"So," Buffy repeated.

"We've got a lot to talk about, a lot to talk through; about Angelus, and…" he trailed off, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. "Everything else."

Buffy nodded. "I know."

"Does anyone else know about me? About Angelus being gone and me being me again?" he asked. Buffy paused for a second.

"No. No one knows," she admitted. "And I don't plan on telling them. At least not right now." Angel nodded. "I understand."

"I just want to think about how I'm going to tell them, ya know? Try and figure all of this; stuff between you and me, before everyone else is up to speed," she explained.

"You and me?" he repeated.

Buffy sat there for a second. "Well yeah. I-I mean, I'm not saying we have to jump back into a relationship or anything," she began. "Because we have to talk about things, and I don't know, maybe things won't work out, may be they will, but I just don't want everyone else knowing when there are these many 'I don't knows,'" she rambled. Angel smiled.

"What?" she asked.

"You we're rambling," he pointed out. Buffy shyly smiled and blushed slightly, reminding her of what she was like when she had first met him. Before they started dating. Before things got so complicated, so real..

"Oh," she said, slightly embarrassed. There was an awkward pause between the two of them as they locked gazes with one another.

"So your going to stay here now?" she asked, breaking the silence.

"Yeah, I don't really care too much for the mansion," he explained. Buffy nodded, looking around at the familiar surroundings.

"Well, I should probably get going," Buffy said as she stood up. Angel quickly stood up and followed her to the door.

"Yeah, okay," he said. "I mean, it's getting pretty late; your mom might get angry," he said. Buffy smiled at the way he still worried about her. She was able to fill him in about her "eviction" but decided to save it for another night.

"I'll stop by tomorrow," she promised.

Angel nodded. "I'll be here." She smiled before walking out of the apartment, her heart aching so badly she felt like it was literally breaking.


	3. Ch3

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The Way it Should Have Been

Chapter 3

Author's Note: Well, upon all your requests, I'm back with another chapter! Again, hanks so much for the reviews! Obviously Buffy and Angel have stuff to sort out; please bare with me since I have no experience with sleeping with my boyfriend, giving him a moment of happiness, thus turning him evil and almost sending a demon lover to hell. I'm just writing what a person would do in a situation like this; er.. What Buffy would do. And since this is season 2 Buffy…she's still kinda childish, so..

To skye-lark913: I'm glad your glad there's more, lol! To Buffyangelfan: Don't worry, I will most definitely continue. Thanx for the review! To Beth: Thanks so much for the review! To kat461: What can I say, I always look forward to your reviews. I'm glad for the most part, people are liking it. I know it seems like a way too east solution, but after both shows finale's and seeing no B/A coupling, I felt the need to write a story like this. So if you wanna read it, please just overlook the fact that it was an easy solution. The story isn't about the solution that was used, it's about what if she didn't send him to hell? Would the outcome of their relationship be any better?

Disclaimer: See the first chapter for disclaimer if you really have your heart set on seeing one, kay?

Two weeks had gone by and things we're just as confusing as ever. Buffy was still staying at Giles' house, and she still went to see Angel every few days. She was also still not talking to her mother, who hadn't so much as tried to talk to her since she had kicked her out; which was fine with her. She was mostly happy and content with her current housing. Mostly. The Sophomore year had just ended two days ago, and Buffy knew she'd have to talk to her friends sometime. She just wasn't ready to lie to their faces whenever the subject of Angel was brought up; which she knew would be.

Buffy continued walking through the cemetery, waiting for a vampire to attack. So far, it was a pretty quiet night. Giles had offered to help her patrol, but Buffy had passed up his offer. Spending that much time with her Watcher made her appreciate the times when she was stuck in the library with him for hours researching or training. There we're only so many English meals she could eat.

Suddenly a vampire jumped out of no where, in front of Buffy; it's teeth glistening in the moonlight as it let out a demonic growl.

"Good, I was wondering when one of you'd show up," she said before delivering a punch to the vampire's stomach, causing him to momentarily buckle. It quickly recovered, letting out another growl before spinning in the air, kicking Buffy in the face. Buffy took a few steps back, firing rapid blows to the vampire's face. The vampire dropped to the ground quickly, and kicked, knocking Buffy to the ground. Buffy quickly got up before the vampire and pulled a stake out. She spun around and before the vampire could block, she jammed the wooden stake into it's dead heart. Before the vampire turned to dust, two more came out of no where; one grabbing Buffy from behind while the other grinned in anticipation, stepping closer towards the Slayer. She tried to yank her arms free, but the vampire holding her didn't appear to be a noobie- in strength at least.

She continued to struggle just as she heard a familiar growl nearby. She looked up just as the vampire in front if her turned to dust. Behind the now dusted vampire stood Angel, stake in hand. Surprising the distracted vampire, Buffy trusted her elbow backwards, catching the vampire in the face, causing him to take a step backwards; loosing his grip on Buffy in the process. Before Buffy let the vampire recover, she spun around, her foot connecting with the vampire's chest, before staking the third vampire as well. The cemetery grew silent as the third vampire turned to dust.

Buffy turned around, facing Angel. "Thanks."

"No problem," he said, walking over closer to Buffy. She looked up at him and smiled as he brushed a stray strand of hair from her face. Not thinking, Buffy put her hand on the side of Angel's face, looking up at him for a second before he leaned down; their lips brushing before it hit them what they we're doing.

"I-I'm sorry, it's just…" Buffy began, unable to believe they had almost kissed. His soul had only been restored for two weeks, and already they we're almost kissing.

"Habit, I know," he finished, his gaze to the ground as he spoke. He looked back up at her. "I'm sorry, I just thought maybe you needed help patrolling so.." he trailed off.

"No, I'm glad you wanted to help. It's just…" she paused.

"I know. If Giles or any of the gang saw me," he finished once more. Buffy gave a weak smile, knowing none of it was easy; for either of them.

"Yeah." The two stood there, in an all too familiar awkward silence. "So uh, do you have any plans tonight?" she asked, trying to make conversation.

"Not really. I'll probably just head back home," he explained.

"Oh," Buffy replied, slightly disappointed. "Mind some company?" she asked weakly, not wanting to sound too desperate, although on the inside she was desperate to spend time with him.

Angel smiled. "I'd love some." Buffy smiled as the two walked side by side towards the entrance of the cemetery.

"So…how's school?" Angel asked, trying to make conversation.

"It's good, you know considering it's all over; for the summer at least," she explained, standing in his living room/bedroom while Angel fixed her something to drink- something that wasn't blood.

"Oh," Angel said. "So what are your plans for this summer?" he asked, walking back towards her with her drink.

"Just the usual. Vampire slaying at night, hanging out enjoying the summer during the day," she said. Angel smiled as he handed her her drink. As she reached for it, their hands brushed against each other; both of them responding from the body contact.

"Thank you,'" Buffy said, forcing a small smile as she took sip of her tea.

"You know, we're going to have to talk about this sooner or later," Angel said, knowing they couldn't keep avoiding the subject of them for much longer.

"I know," Buffy said. "Just with everything going on at home, I wanna tackle one problem at a time," she explained.

Angel nodded. "I understand."

"Plus, I wanna deal with the less hard and painful thing first," she added. "But your right; we do have to talk about this; about us, soon." She looked down at her tea filled mug.

"What kind of problems are you having at home?" he asked, concerned.

"Oh it's nothing really. Mom kinda…kicked me out," she said. "She found out about me being a Vampire Slayer, and she couldn't deal, so she kicked me out," she explained.

"But you've got a place your staying at, right?" he asked, ready to house her in a second. The thought of Buffy being somewhere on the streets didn't settle with Angel too well. If he had to, he go talk to Joyce himself.

"Yeah, I'm uh, staying with Giles for a while," she explained. "Although I'm not sure how much longer _that _housing arrangement will work for. There's only so much of Giles I can take in a twenty-four hour period," she joked. Angel smiled.

"You know your always welcome here," Angel said. "If-if things don't work out staying at Giles' and if your mother hasn't come around yet."

"Thanks. I'm kinda hoping she'll come around soon," Buffy said, "I'm kinda missing my old room."

"Yeah, I'm sure," Angel agreed. The two grew silent, Angel watched as Buffy fidgeted in her place, looking down at her mug as if it was the most fascinating thing in the world. Finally she looked up and smiled at him.

"Well, I should probably get going before Giles comes looking for me," she said, standing up. "But uh, thank you," she said, looking up directly into his eyes.

"Want me to walk you home or?" he asked, not wanting his time with her to end quite yet. Buffy smiled and shook her head.

"I'm okay," she assured him. "but thank you," she said. Buffy paused for a second, before deciding to hug him. Angel was surprised, but accepted her hug. He enjoyed the feeling of her in his arms. The scent of her… she smelled of vanilla, was intoxicating as it filled his nostrils and clouded his sense of reality. Buffy in return, held on to him tightly, her eyes closed shut. The feeling of her body against his was all she needed. Being in his arms was the safest place she could ever think of. It was like being shielded from all the scary things on the world. While he was Angelus, she was left to only dream about being in his arms. Now that she was back, her sense of comfort began to return.

Finally Buffy slowly pulled away from Angel's arms. She looked up at him and smiled before leaving. No words could really have been said between the two. Neither of them we're sure where things stood between them, they just knew how they felt about one another. As Buffy exited the apartment, she wrapped her arms around herself, already feeling empty without his arms around her.

Buffy sighed, her body tired and ready for bed. She frowned as she opened the front door, realizing Giles was still awake with the living room light still on. She closed the door behind her and began into the house.

"Giles, what are you still doing-" she began. She stopped in mid sentence when the person she wouldn't have expected to see last stood up from the couch, and turned around towards Buffy.

"Mom?" she said in disbelief.

"Hello, Buffy," Joyce said, standing in the living room.


	4. Ch4

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The Way it Should Have Been

Chapter 4

Disclaimer: See the first chapter for disclaimer if you really have your heart set on seeing one, kay?

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Author's Note: Well, upon all your requests, I'm back with another chapter! Sorry it's taken so long, I'm working on wrapping up a DJ fic, and starting a new one. Again, thanks so much for the reviews! Obviously Buffy and Angel have stuff to sort out; please bare with me since I have no experience with sleeping with my boyfriend, giving him a moment of happiness, thus turning him evil and almost sending a demon lover to hell. I'm just writing what a person would do in a situation like this; er.. What Buffy would do. And since this is season 2 Buffy…she's still kinda childish, so..

To Melanie: That's cool that you agree. And I'm working on the next chapter right now!! To CluelessS: Na, that kind of review will do, lol. To sandy-eco: I'm glad you love the story so far. It's still going, just keep an eye out for the updates! (I know it's taken a while, I've just been unable to motivate myself to write anything for any of my stories.) And to kat461, m(), IWRY-ALWAYS, thanks guys for the reviews. I really appreciate them! Makes me get my butt back to writing! Hehe!

Buffy stood there, frozen in her place. Out of all the surprises that were thrown her way in the span of a day, this was one she really wasn't expecting. Last time she had spoken to her mother was when her mother had thrown her out that night- and that conversation wasn't one of the most memorable ones. She had snuck in a few days later to grab some of her clothes, but since then she hadn't been back.

"What are you doing here?" Buffy asked finally, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Buffy, I want you to come home with me," Joyce said, wasting no time. Buffy took a few steps into the room.

"Are you serious?" she asked. "After you threw me out because you couldn't understand something about me, and now you just… want me to come back home?" she said in disbelief.

"I know I reacted badly; I was confused," Joyce said. "You can't throw something that big at me and expect me to understand right off."

Buffy shrugged. "I had to."

"A-alright now, I think we should just calm down, and take a seat," Giles suggested. Buffy just stood there, her eyes locked on her mother.

"I'm sorry, but I can't go back with you," Buffy said. She then turned around and walked off to the guest room.

The following morning, Buffy tossed and turned like crazy in the bed. She snuck a peek at the alarm clock beside the bed. It read 12:45 in large red letters. She groaned before finally tossing the blanket's off of her and getting up. After freshening herself up a little without getting dressed, Buffy made her way out into the living room where she knew Giles was already there, probably ready with a lecture from last night's events. She remembered laying in bed, hearing Giles and her mother whispering in the living room before drifting off to sleep.

"Morning," Giles said from the table, without looking up from one of his old books.

"Morning," Buffy repeated, making her way to the fridge for something to eat. Most mornings, she'd eat a bowl or cereal or make her way to Willow's house. 

"I trust you've had time to think about what your mother had to say?" Giles asked finally.

"Somehow I knew this morning wouldn't pass without that being mentioned," she said, closing a cupboard.

"Buffy, I know your still upset with her for kicking you out-" he began.

"No, you don't," Buffy said. "I told her the truth, Giles and what did she do? She kicked me out!" she said, her hands on her hips.

"If you would let me finish," he said, looking up from his book. "Buffy, just how long do you think this sleeping arrangement will last for?" he asked. Buffy paused. "I am you watcher, and while I don't mind you staying here…your going to have to go back sometime."

"So your saying you want me out?" she asked.

"Now I didn't say that," Giles said.

"No, but you were thinking it," she said. The room went silent.

"Buffy, for what it's worth, she is truly sorry," he told her before she walked out of the living room, needing to get out of there.

After walking around for a while, Buffy decided to go to Willow's house for a while. She realized she didn't spend enough time with her friends since everything had happened. She had been busy either with patrolling, being mad at her mom, or secretly visiting Angel. She took a deep breath before knocking on the front door. Mrs. Rosenberg answered the door, as usual.

"Hi, is…Willow here?" she asked. She knew Mrs. Rosenberg didn't care for her. She thought Buffy was a bad influence for Willow, and probably thought it more since she had been accused of killing Kendra. Luckily, the charges had been dropped a few days ago.

Mrs. Rosenberg nodded, and motioned Buffy inside. "Let me get her," she said before disappearing out of the room. Buffy looked around the living room, pictures of Willow and her family on the walls, along with paintings.

"Hey Buffy!" Willow said happily.

Buffy turned towards her and smiled. "Hey Will. How ya been?" she asked as the two girls headed to Willow's room.

"Pretty good. Oz had another gig at the Bronze last night," she informed Buffy.

"Oh, he did?" she asked.

Willow nodded. "So how are things at your end?" she asked after a few minutes. Buffy paused.

"A mess," she said simply, sitting down in Willow's bed.

"That bad?" Willow asked. Sitting down beside her.

"Oh you don't know the half of it. Mom was waiting for me when I got home last night," she began.

"Oh. What did she say?"

"Well, now she wants me to come back home and just forgive her," Buffy explained. "But…" she paused. "I don't know what to do."

"What do you want to do?" Willow answered.

"I don't know. I mean, yeah, it's weird shaking up with Giles, but I'm just not sure if Ik want to go back home," she said. "Plus… there are other things."

"What do you mean?" Willow asked, unsure of what Buffy was talking about. Buffy paused, wondering if it was a good idea to tell Willow about Angel. She looked at her best friend, deciding she could trust her.

"What if… what if I told you Angel wasn't dead?" she began.

"What do you mean, not dead?" she said, wondering where Buffy was going with this. She knew Buffy was still upset about whatever happened in the mansion with Angel; which was the main reason why she nor Xander had seen much of her lately.

"I mean, what if I didn't have to kill Angel in order to stop Acathla," she began. "If I found another way to stop him."

"Buffy, these 'ifs' are all true, aren't they?" Willow asked finally. Buffy looked up and nodded.

"Wow," Willow said finally, unable to believe Angel was still alive. So that's what was going on with Buffy lately. "Is-Is he still ya know, bad?" she asked.

Buffy shook her head quickly. "No, he's Angel again. I don't know how, but…" she paused. "While we were fighting, his eyes lit up and it was suddenly him. It was Angel."

"It worked," Willow muttered, smiling.

"What worked?" Buffy asked.

"The spell. To restore Angel's soul. It worked!" she said happily.

"The spell Miss Calender had?" Buffy asked. Willow nodded quickly.

"Wait, didn't Xander tell you?" she asked. "He was supposed to tell you what we were up to; with the spell."

Buffy felt betrayal and anger towards Xander. "No. He didn't," she said. The room fell silent.

"Buffy I'm sorry, I thought he-"

"It's okay. It's not you," she assured her, wondering why and how Xander could do that to her. She knew Xander hated Angel, but to lie to her about something..

"So are you and Angel, you know…" Willow trailed off.

"No, well yes. No!" Buffy sighed. "I don't know what we are," she admitted.

"Have the two of you sat down and talked about it?" she asked.

"No," she said softly, looking down at the ground. "I mean, that's all I've thought about, but.. We haven't…talked about it."

"Maybe that's something the two of you should do?" she suggested.

"Maybe," she said simply. "I'm just worried that with all that's happened with Angelus…" she trailed off, squeezing her eyes shut, thinking of the memories of him. What he did to everyone.

"Buffy, don't let that affect whether or not you and Angel work things out. If you do that, your letting Angelus win," Willow said, putting her arm around her friend.

"It's not just that," she said. "What about Giles? What if he finds out that I've kept Angel hidden and lied about it?" she asked.

"Well if he kicks ya out, you know you can always stay here," Willow said, smiling. Buffy smiled.

"Thanks Will. And your right; Angel and I need to discuss what's going on with him and I," she said, thinking in her mind what she'd say to him, and what she was going to do about everyone else knowing about Angel being alive. If it was even a good idea.


	5. Special Author's Note

****

Special Author's Note: Hey guys! Sorry its taking SO long to finish up this story! I haven't watched Buffy in a while, being so incredibly involved in "Dawson's Creek" and my DC fics. But I'm slowly working on it and hopefully someday it'll be completed. But thanks so much for the reviews, begging me to continue.

I guess I just wanted to say that they are not going unnoticed and I'm trying to finish this fic up!

DawsonJoey601


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